Name: A new way to "grow" islands and coastlines
Uploaded: 2020-05-04T15:06:46Z
Duration: 7 min 17 s
Description: What if we could harness the ocean's movement to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels? Designer and TED Fellow Skylar Tibbits shows how his lab is creating a dynamic, adaptable system of underwater structures that uses energy from ocean waves to accumulate sand and restore eroding shorelines -- working with the forces of nature to build rather than destroy.

What if we could harness the ocean's movement to protect coastal communities from rising sea levels? Designer and TED Fellow Skylar Tibbits shows how his lab is creating a dynamic, adaptable system of underwater structures that uses energy from ocean waves to accumulate sand and restore eroding shorelines -- working with the forces of nature to build rather than destroy. 

Faced with rising sea levels, many coastal communities rely on barriers or dredging, but these approaches often harm ecosystems and require constant upkeep. Inspired by natural sandbars in the Maldives that formed faster than human-made islands, researchers created underwater structures that use wave energy to accumulate sand and restore shorelines. In just two days, these simple canvas geometries began building new land with the help of the ocean’s natural forces. This approach suggests a future where resilience and adaptation, not resistance, shape how we thrive alongside changing climates.

Harnessing Waves to Grow Coastlines Instead of Building Barriers

*Self-Assembly Lab: Experiments in Programming Matter*

*Active Matter*

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A new way to "grow" islands and coastlines

TED Fellows

design

innovation

climate change

energy

nature

physics

engineering

ocean

TED Stage Talk

Skylar Tibbits: A new way to "grow" islands and coastlines